Idaho food and beverage

August 05, 2008

What bloggers want (or this one, anyway)

Mark your calendars, set your cell phone alarms, and tell your friends: U.S. Senate candidate Jim Risch will join D.F. Oliveria of the Huckleberries Online blog for a live Q&A session at 1:30 p.m. Pacific/2:30 Mountain on Friday. Dave is kinda sorta inviting questions at this post, but he says "no promises" that he'll use those queries.

So - just as on his radio guest slot the week before last - Risch still won't actually be taking questions from the public, as his Democratic opponent Larry LaRocco has repeatedly done during live blogs and webcasts. But at least he is visiting a blog, albeit one sanctioned by the Rischs. Jason Risch told the Idaho Statesmanlast week that his dad "draws a very distinct line between legitimate media and the bloggers that are left-wing hatemongers. The blogging done by legitimate media sources are not in the same category as the left-wing hatemongers."

Of course, Jason Risch has a right to be miffed at his dad's portrayal - by the Jonathan Swifts of Idaho blogging at 43rd State Blues- as a squeaky voiced gnome. Fair enough. But we can't let Risch Sr. get away with broad-brushing all bloggers as "hatemongers" simply because we criticize him for ditching debates, shunning his opponents, and distorting his record of tax-shifting and big business butt-kissing.

I've been blogging about Idaho politics since 2003, and here's all I want:

To lift up Democratic candidates and causes for consideration by my fellow Idahoans.

To point out the real problems that result from lopsided one-party political control, such as what we currently have in Idaho.

To do a little reporting, as my time allows, on stories that are ignored by the traditional media.

Do I hate what one-party Republican control is doing to our state? Yes. Do I hate Jim Risch, Bill Sali, Mike Moyle, Bryan Fischer, and the others most responsible for this situation? Personally speaking, no. But will I - and other progressive Idaho bloggers - do everything we can to elect more Democrats and end the reactionary GOP reign of error? Absolutely. Partisan blogs are valuable additions to the media scene precisely because readers know where we stand, and because we frequently write about topics that the salaried folks in the "real" media don't have the time, inclination, or cojones to cover. (Just how much reporting do you think the soon-to-be-defunctSouth Idaho Press did on local radio renegade Zeb Bell? Now there's a hatemonger ... )

Randy Stapilus has an interesting take on this at Ridenbaugh Press: "The problem with such simple dichotomies, when you talk about political communications these days, is that it’s not an either-or, not jut this or that, but a whole range, a spectrum. Even among the liberal or conservative blogs - those explicitly so - you’ll find a wide range of efforts, some focused to a degree on news and breaking information, others focusing on putting ideas and opinion into the mix. And others heading into altogether different directions."

Exactly. It's time for the Rischs to realize the legitimacy of all blogs, not simply those sanctioned by traditional media organizations. Jim Risch's appearance at Huckleberries Online this Friday is a first step, but a very small one. If he really wants to show credibility on this issue, he will do what Larry LaRocco has done, repeatedly: Pick a partisan blog and appear live there. Even in a friendly environment, hard questions get asked, the real candidate can emerge, and voters can make more informed choices.

P.S. I enjoyed Sisyphus' comment at the Stapilus post noted above, about Risch's decision to join Oliveria for a live blogging session: "Of course, as Jill points out, it will be interesting how someone who doesn’t personally own a computer will accomplish this feat."

Update: KBCI is doing a story on this issue. I was just interviewed, as was Jill Kuraitis from New West. Tune in to Channel 2 at 5 p.m. (or check the website afterward) to see what they have to say.

Julie, I was waiting for you to weigh in on this. Your understanding of blogs and bloggers is something I've always appreciated. Whatever Jim Risch wants to call us, he's going to have to admit at some point that we are a force. I say 'we' meaning all Idaho blogs, conservative or liberal, satirical or serious.

Tara, that's the point I tried to make during my brief interview for TV tonight, too. We're a growing force. Some politicians appreciate that; others resist it, but at this point, they ignore us at their peril.

Update from my comment above: Larry LaRocco will be at Kos from noon to 1 Pacific on Wednesday ... 1 to 2 Mountain.

Anyone see the KBCI story? I thought it was pretty well done. Aside to Jill: It was interesting that they used your quote about bloggers being amateur writers without journalism degrees who write for free - then they interviewed me (pro writer since the 1980s, BSJ from Ohio University, neither of which I mentioned, of course).

But most bloggers do fit that description, so no worries.

And I think the piece made Risch look pretty silly for his bluster over bloggers.

Jill notes in an email that she followed up her comment about "amateur writers" with praise for the excellent writing throughout Idaho's blue blogosphere, but that the comment wound up on the cutting-room floor.

That's TV news for you! This was still good PR for us and for our growing presence.